JUST-IN: A Difficult ALDS Starting Rotation Choice For The Yankees.

This weekend, the winner of the Division Series between the Kansas City Royals and the Baltimore Orioles will play the New York Yankees. They have the same opportunity as any other team to win the World Series, but it will take a long and difficult journey to get there.

The Yankees’ rotation was deep and full of talent a few weeks ago. Nestor Cortes was in good condition, Gerrit Cole was on the rise, and the only player who had left supporters with doubts about his dependability was Marcus Stroman.

But things take place over such an extended season. After suffering an injury, Cortes is now unlikely to pitch in the postseason; Stroman remains untrustworthy; and Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt struggled in their final start of the season.

Gil let up six runs in 5.2 innings on Saturday in the Pirates game. At first, home runs (a staggering four) were a bigger problem than walks (only one).

Gil’s performance may not be as alarming if his prior start hadn’t seen him give up four runs. Over the course of his previous two outings, the gifted youngster has allowed 10 runs.

Then, on Sunday, Schmidt gave up four earned runs in four innings while striking out five batters and recording four walls. Although the field wasn’t in the finest of shape, Schmidt’s performance was plagued by control lapses.

Their two young, native righties should worry the Yankees at least a bit. Carlos Rodon ought to start after Cole as the first starter in the Division Series. Following that? It’s a puzzle.

Nonetheless, Gil and Schmidt’s corpus of work in 2024 has been excellent overall. Given that the former had a 3.50 ERA in the regular season and the latter had a 2.85 one, is it reasonable to be concerned about how they will perform in the postseason? Perhaps, but perhaps not.

The Yankees need this postseason more than any other, that much is true. With Juan Soto on the roster, it may be their only, therefore they have pressure to perform well. Thus, it’s understandable that supporters would be concerned about Gil and Schmidt.

However, the last few trips were an exception in an otherwise prosperous year. Both of them should be key players in the Yankees’ postseason run, provided they stay healthy and Nestor Cortes isn’t.